Mechanism for holding and controling the feeding of coiled material



July 9, 1940. 2,207,663

MECHANISM 'FOR HOLDING AND CONTROLLING THE FEEDING OFCOILED MATERI R. w. GLASNER 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Oct. 5, 1936 July 9, .1940. R. w. GLASNER I 2,207,663

MECHANISM FOR HOLDING AND CONTROLLING THE FEEDING OF COILED MATERIAL Original Filed Oct. 3, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 9, 1940 1 UNITED STATES MECHANISM FOR HOLDING AND CONTROL- LING THE FEEDING F COILED MATE- v BIAL Rudolph W. Glasner, Chicago, Ill.

Original application October 3, 1936, Serial No. 103,901, now Patent No. 2,120,402, dated June Divided and this application March 9, 1938, Serial No. 194,761

"9 Claim.

This application is a division of original application Serial No. 103,901 filed October 3, 1936, now Patent No. 2,120,402 June 14, 1938, and the present invention relates to improvements in mechanism for holding a coil of material to be fed therefrom into a press or machine to be operated upon, and one of the objects of the invention is to provide improved means whereby the material itself as it is being uncoiled from the coil or roll will automatically control the feeding or supply of the material.

A further object is to provide an improved apparatus of this character which will not onlybe automatic in operation, but adapted to be adjusted to compensate coils or rolls'of material of varying widths.

To the attainment of these complishment of other new and useful objects as will appear the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention, and in which Figure 1 is a top plan view of mechanism for holding a coil of material and the control therefor, constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention. 1 I

Figure 2 is an end elevation as taken from the W left hand side of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is. a side elevation taken from-the right hand side of Figure l, with parts broken away. I

Figure 4 is a sectional view as taken on line 44 Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a detail sectional view taken on line 5-5 Figure 3.

-Referring more particularly to the drawings, the numeral l0 designates the material to be operated upon and is preferably supplied in a coil, the coil being arranged between two holders or heads II that are disposedin close proximity to the edges of the work, and the coil is supported by means of rollers [2 arranged in pairs and mounted upon shafts l3 for rotation therewith.

In the present exempliflcation of this invention} four of these shafts are shown and two rollers are mountedupon each shaft, but it is to be understood that any number of shafts and rollers may be provided.

Two of these shafts are arranged parallel and spaced laterally from each other for any suitable distance and the ends of the respective pairs of shafts are journaled in supporting members ll, the latter in turn being Journaled upon a ends and the ac-.

- shaft l5 that is itself journaled in suitable bearings and extends across the space between said heads ll. These members M together with their associated shafts and rollers co-operate to provide a cradle in which the reel l6 .carrying the material In is adapted to be supported by resting thereupon.

Obviously the members 14- with their associated shafts and rollers will be automatically adjusted or positioned by the deposit of the reel thereupon and this cradle takes care of the variation of the diameter of the coiled stock and also takes care of oval coils, that is, in case the reel or coil is not perfectly round.

One of the members M may be provided at each end of the pair of shafts l3, and mounted upon each of the shafts at one end thereof for rotation therewith is a gear 11, and mounted upon the shaft l5 and meshing with these gears is another gear l8 by means of which motion will be imparted-to the respective rollers l2 through the medium of the intermediate gears.

Each pair of shafts i3 is similarly connected, and motion is imparted to the shaft l3 by means of a motor I3, hydraulic variable speed transmission diagrammatically illustrated at 20, and a speed reducer diagrammatically illustrated at 2!, to the shaft of which speed reducer 21 is con-' ,nected a sprocket wheel 22 over which a sprocket chain 23 passes. This sprocket chain 23 passes over a sprocket wheel 24 on one of the shafts l5. On this latter shaft is mounted another sprocket wheel 25 over which a sprocket chain 26 passes, and which latter sprocket chain in turn passes over a sprocket gear 21 secured to the other shaft l5.

Thus it will be seen that when the motor I9 is operated, the rollers l2 will also beoperated and the work coil 28 will be rotated, the coil being held against edgewise movement, and in proper position with respect to the supporting rollers I2 by means of the holders or heads II.-

The heads H are each provided with a centrally disposed and laterally projecting shaft 23 that is longitudinally slidable in a bearing 30 mounted upon a support 3| superposed upon a base 32, and on each of the shafts 29 is provided a rack 33 (see particularly Figure 5) with which a gear 34 meshes, the gear 34 projecting through an aperture 35 in the hearing. The end of a shaft 36 on which the gear .34 is mounted, preferably projects beyond the bearing and is angular in cross-section for the reception of a crank or handle by means of which the gear '34 may be rotated and the heads ll correspondingly adjusted.

A clamp 31 may be provided to lock-the head in its adjusted position, and binding screws 38 operate upon the clamping member.

The uncoiling mechanism is provided to uncoil the sheet material from the spool or reel and furnish it to the press or machine without any pull being required, and this is accomplished by rotating the rollers l2, and the speed'of uncoiling may be variable over a wide range. The variable uncoiling speed provides a, wide operation of the speed movement of the work through the press or machine, and the mechanism is adapted for adjustment to compensate varying widths of material.

It sometimes happens that the uncoiling of the a material ill from the coil is too rapid, and in that event the material, after it leaves the coil, forms itself into a loop 39 (see particularly Figure 4) and if the feed is too rapid, a larger loop is formed, and this loop portion of the material contacts an arm or member 40 preferably in the form of a roller of a limit switch designated generally by the reference numeral M, to stop the operation of the motor l9 and consequently the feeding of the material. I

This limit switch 4| may be of any desired or well known construction, sufiice it to say that it is provided with an arm or member 40 that is pivotally mounted and is contacted by the loop of material to'be shifted thereby and to operate any ordinary and well known switch, or the member 4| may itself be the controlling member of the switch. The limit switch is connected by suitable conductors 42 with the motor l9--so that when the limit switch is actuated or shifted byv the coil of material, the motor will be stopped.

a fastening screw 53 being provided to secure the As soon as the excess material has been taken up and the size of the loop 39 reduced, the switch will move in the opposite direction and thereby complete the circuit through the motor to start the latter to operate. a

The limit switch 4| is preferably mounted upon an arm or member 43, which in turn is pivotally mounted as at 44 to a' bracket 45 supported by any stationary part' of the mechanism, so thatjthe member 43 maybe moved about the pivot 44 to bodily move the limit switch away and toward the axis of. rotation of ,the coil 28 and thereby render it possible to vary the operation of the machine by the amount of loose material or the loop 39 of the material as it is being payed out from the reel. In order to hold the arm or member 43 in its adjusted position, there maybe provided a link or member 46 pivotally mounted as at 41 on any stationary part of the mechanism. The member 46 is provided with a slot '48 to receive a. bolt 49 that-is connected with-the arm or member 43. A fastening nut 59 is provided upon the bolt 49. .By loosening the nut 59 it will be manifest that the arm or member'43 may be swung about its pivot 44 and when il'i elle desiredposi- 'tion the nut 50 may be tighten The limit switch 4| is preferably supported upon a. bar or rod 5| that is preferably angular in cross-section and passes through a suitable hearing or bracket 52 carried by the member 43,

limit switch in any-desired position in its adjustment laterally with respect to the member-43.

That is, by loosening the screw 53 the limit switch may be adjusted laterally with respect to the arm or member 43 and then secured in' position by tightening the screw 53.

' While the preferred'form of the inventioni's herein shown and described it is to be understood by a too' rapid uncoiling of the material will operate said switch to render the motor inactive, and means adapting said switch device for bodily adjustment in directions lengthwise of the axis of rotation of the coil.

2. An uncoiling device for a coil of strip material embodying a cradle, said cradle embodying co-operating pairs of members mounted for free rocking movement, spaced rollersjournaled in the co-operating pairs of said members and upon which rollers the coil is supported by its peripha ery, end members between which the coil is disposed, mearis for rotating said rollers to uncoil.

the material, and means controlled by the slack in the material as it is uncoiled for controlling the operation of said-roller rotating means.

3. An uncoiling device fora coil of strip material embodying a cradle, said cradle embodying co-operating pairs of members mounted for free. rocking movement, spaced rollers journaled in the co-operating pairs of said members and upon which rollers the coil is supported by its periphery, end members between which the coil is disposed, shafts individual to the spaced rollers which are journaled in the respective said meni bers, operative connections between the shafts and the respective rollers for rotating the latter, means for rotating said shafts, said shafts constituting the fulcrums for the respective cradle members, and means controlled by the slack in the material as it is'uncoiled, for controlling said shaft rotating means.

4. An uncoiling' device for a-coil of strip material embodying a cradle, said cradle embodying co-operating pairs of members mounted for free rocking movement, spaced rollers journaled in the co-operating pairs of said members and upon which rollers the coil is supported by its periphery, end members between which the coil is disposed, shafts individual to the' spaced rollers which are journaled in the respective said members, operative connections between the shafts and the respective rollers for rotating the latter,

' said shafts constituting the fulcrums for the respective cradle members, a drive connection'be tweensaid shafts, a source of power for rotating one of said shafts, and means controlled by the slack in the material as it is uncoiled for controlling the said source of power.

5. A coil supporting and rotating assembly for a strip uncoiling device comprising a pair of spaced parallel supporting' and driving shafts, means to rotatably support the ends of the shafts,

a cradle rotatably. supported "on each of. the

shafts, a pair of spaced roll carrying shafts journaled in each of saidcradles and being in parallel alinement with the driving shafts, a coil supporting -roll carried by each of said roll carrying shafts and power traiismission means between the driving shafts and each of the roll carrying shafts whereby rotation of the driving shafts results in rotation of the roll carrying shafts.

2,207,663 6. A coil supporting and rotating assembly for a strip uncolling device comprising a pair of spaced parallel supporting and driving shafts, means to rotatably support said shafts, a cradle rotatably, supported on each of said shafts, a pair of spaced coil supporting rolls carried by each cradle and having their axes of rotation parallel with said shafts, and driving means between the shafts and the rolls whereby rotation of the shafts results in rotation of the rolls.

7. A coil supporting and rotating assembly for a strip uncolling device comprising a base, a pair of cradles rotatably supported on said base on spaced parallel axes, a pair of coil supporting roll carrying shafts rotatably mounted on parallel axes on each of said cradles, said last mentioned axes being parallel with said first mentioned axes, a coil supporting and rotating roll keyed to each of said roll carrying shafts, and means to rotate said roll carrying shafts in all positions of said cradles.

8. A coil supporting and rotating assembly for a. strip uncoiling device embodylnga base, a pair of cradles oscillatably supported upon said base on spaced parallel axes, a pair of coil supportingroll carrying shafts rotatably mounted on said parallel axes in each of said cradles, said lastmentioned axes being parallel with the firstroll carried by mentioned axes, a coil supporting each of said roll. carrying shafts for supporting the coil of material entirely by its periphery, means to rotate said roll carrying shafts in all positions of said cradle, and coil strip guiding members supported adjacent the lateral edges of the coil, independent of the cradles and adjustable in directions toward and away from each other.

9. A metal strip uncoiling device comprising supporting rolls for receiving and supporting a coil of material strip entirely by its periphery, driving means for rotating said rolls, spaced slidable members supported above said rolls and movable in directions toward and away from each other and the respective lateral edges of the coil, a guide member carried by each of said slidable members and between which guide members the coil is positioned, said guide members each being of a 'dimension to extend for a substantial distance above and below the axis of rotation of the coil of material, means for ad'- justing said slidable members and with them the respective said guide members, and means operating with and for supporting said rolls for bodily movement to constitute therewith a pivotally mounted cradle for the coil. I

RUDOLPH W. GLASNER. 

